UCLA Library

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

Every two years, the archive known for impeccable restorations shows some eye-opening work — a free event that serious film fans won't want to miss.

05/28/2026

Eyewitness News is highlighting a special community of experts at UCLA who are not only saving priceless films but are inviting you to witness some of their rarest treasures.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

“Pitfall” (1948)
World premiere of new restoration!

​​André de Toth directs this classic film noir starring Dick Powell as a married insurance man whose life spirals out of control after he meets the alluring Mona (Lizabeth Scott). More than a traditional femme fatale archetype, Scott’s portrayal reveals a more textured and sympathetic victim of circumstance. Screenwriter Karl Kamb and an uncredited William Bowers perfectly capture the trappings of infidelity, larceny and obsession, played out in sun-drenched Southern California.

“Pitfall” was photochemically preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in the 1980s from a rare nitrate print. This new, digitally restored version is a significant improvement from the very worn copy that has been circulating for decades.

📽 Screening at the 22nd UCLA Festival of Preservation
Sunday, May 31, 7:40 p.m.
Guest speaker: author and film historian Alan K. Rode
Free admission! Details: ucla.in/4dxiSCz
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Restoration funding provided by the Century Arts Foundation. Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from acetate dupe picture negatives and track negatives. Laboratory services by Roundabout Entertainment, Inc., Audio Mechanics.

05/24/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 UCLA Library Prize for Undergraduate Research winners🏅

Category: Cluster Program 📖

🥇Maria Baig ‘29 explored how spoken word performance can challenge gender violence using the work of Sudanese-American slam poet Emtithal Mahmoud. She used Library writing workshops and databases to help shape her paper and arguments.

Category: UCLA Film & Television Archive Research and Study Center 🎬
🥇Megan Vahdat ‘27 explored how stress, migration and systemic invisibility affect care for Iranian refugee women. Through the UCLA Film & Television Archive Research and Study Center (ARSC), she was able to access diverse archival media that enhanced her analysis and refined the direction of her project.

🔗 Learn more about this year’s winners and their projects: https://ucla.in/4wHxyqb

05/23/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 UCLA Library Prize for Undergraduate Research winners🏅

Category: William Andrews Clark Library 📜

🥇Valery Klepova ‘26 explored how “The Monk” and “Lolita"’ portray adult male characters driven mad by their desires, comparing how views of madness changed across time periods. She used materials from the Clark Library to strengthen her argument and understanding of the historical context.

🥈Alfons Rosales ‘26 compared how recipes were documented in late medieval and early modern cookbooks. He utilized Library Special Collections resources to study the history of English recipes and conducted on-site research at the Clark Library.

🔗 Learn more about this year’s winners and their projects: https://ucla.in/4wHxyqb

05/23/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 UCLA Library Prize for Undergraduate Research winners 🏅

Category: International Collections 🌍

🥇Pavan Radhakrishnan ‘26 explored the musical history of Moldova, focusing on the cultural impact and formation of Nicolae Sulac’s Orchestra Lăutarii. He used Library resources to access research across different fields and refine his research perspective.

🥈Pilar Taylor ‘26 studied the history of Izamal to explain how the meanings and uses of Maya ruins have shifted over time and shaped cultural identity. She used Library resources and services to find relevant sources and strengthen her project’s theoretical framework.

Category: Music After 1900 🎶

🥇 Eden Ulrigg ‘26 explored how Soviet Westernization influenced the evolution of the Mongolian morin khuur (or the “horsehead fiddle”). Ulrigg used the Library catalog and relevant databases to refine their understanding of Mongolian history and identity.

🔗 Learn more about this year’s winners and their projects: https://ucla.in/4wHxyqb